When I sail a board with footstraps in outboard position my heels catch water in chop. Sometimes a little, sometimes I feel it slows me down.
What's the technique to reduce it, if any?

You aren't riding the fin with your weight fully committed to the harness, but rather standing up on the board. That is causing the windward rail to drop and the heels to drag.

Be sure you're sheeted in and getting max power out of your rig. It helps to move the back hand, and possibly the harness lines, further back on the boom. When you are planing - especially in lightly powered conditions - keep the board flat or slightly leeward rail down by keeping all your weight off the feet and off your heels. Almost only transverse sail power should go into the board through your legs.

If all this seems very unfamiliar to you, start by weighing your front arm, palm-down grip, elbow down. That is the first step toward getting your body weight off your feet.

Also you are likely turning into windward with the board and holding the sail forward to turn to leeward with the sail. the two balance out but in a bad way.
This slows you down a lot .Ask other sailors to follow you a bit to see if you are pointing your toes to hold the board flat or sailing along with your windward rail down.

Glad this topic came up again ... and good answers. This raises a subtle variation of the question. I like to have just my toes in the straps (for the feeling that my foot will pop out easily on a crash) and I note that my heels may catch water on boards that seem "thin" (thickness between top and bottom of board) to me. If I jam my feet all the way in the straps, I have no issue. But, on these thinner boards, and given my preferred foot placement in the straps, I tend to compensate for heel drag by twisting my foot somewhat forward (feet a bit more parallel to the board length). Anyone else do this, or does my technique need to follow the recommendations above, too?

I like to have just my toes in the straps (for the feeling that my foot will pop out easily on a crash)

Jastall - after many years in the sport, for the first time went to Maui to windsurf about a year ago. First day with rental board spent 10min adjusting the straps, which all felt like giant loops to me - I was used to just toes in, like you. Second day another board, same giant straps. I asked a well-known windsurfer and industry figure what was up with that, and he laughed, said when he first arrived on the island years ago (also from East Coast) he had the same reaction. But he quickly re-learned, since feet go into big loops quicker, and come out quicker, and since a bigger loop means more flexibility - all a must for wave sailing. I think the broken-foot strap size is somewhere in between - more than toes in, but not a generous loop (but I think is possible to break a foot in any strap, given the right conditions). Anyway, I now have generous loops on all of my straps.

Glad this topic came up again ... and good answers. This raises a subtle variation of the question. I like to have just my toes in the straps (for the feeling that my foot will pop out easily on a crash) and I note that my heels may catch water on boards that seem "thin" (thickness between top and bottom of board) to me. If I jam my feet all the way in the straps, I have no issue. But, on these thinner boards, and given my preferred foot placement in the straps, I tend to compensate for heel drag by twisting my foot somewhat forward (feet a bit more parallel to the board length). Anyone else do this, or does my technique need to follow the recommendations above, too?

My heels do touch the water frequently - be it pieces of chop, compensating for quick changes in trim or otherwise breaking from good form (i.e. falling into the water).

If the problem is static, however, it's well worth trying to become conscious of the issue and trying to internalize the solution by the way of proper technique.

Once you know your board is level, you're fully sheeted in and your weight is in the harness with at least 75% of the lateral force of the sail going into the board and fin through your rear leg, and your heel is still catching water all the time, it's time to move the strap position or, if that's comfortable, angle your foot._________________florian - ny22

I like to have just my toes in the straps (for the feeling that my foot will pop out easily on a crash)

Jastall - after many years in the sport, for the first time went to Maui to windsurf about a year ago. First day with rental board spent 10min adjusting the straps, which all felt like giant loops to me - I was used to just toes in, like you. Second day another board, same giant straps. I asked a well-known windsurfer and industry figure what was up with that, and he laughed, said when he first arrived on the island years ago (also from East Coast) he had the same reaction. But he quickly re-learned, since feet go into big loops quicker, and come out quicker, and since a bigger loop means more flexibility - all a must for wave sailing. I think the broken-foot strap size is somewhere in between - more than toes in, but not a generous loop (but I think is possible to break a foot in any strap, given the right conditions). Anyway, I now have generous loops on all of my straps.

The reason race boards have their straps set tighter than wave boards is to get just enough toe in to anchor the foot, but have maximum heel-down leverage, so you can ride the biggest possible fin._________________florian - ny22

>> You aren't riding the fin with your weight fully committed to the harness
Bingo. My harness lines are too short. I'm switching from 24" to 30" for sails above 7m. I knew short lines caused many problems with stance, but didn't connect it to the heels problem.

>> I tend to compensate for heel drag by twisting my foot somewhat forward
This is my current mitigation, that obviously doesn't work that well

>> If the problem is static, however, it's well worth trying to become conscious of the issue and trying to internalize the solution by the way of proper technique.
Not static. I twist my feet forwards and learned to read water ahead and offload heels when I know they'll catch. But I think I'm just standing too upright for any of compensations to be effective.

>> feet go into big loops quicker, and come out quicker, and since a bigger loop means more flexibility - all a must for wave sailing.
I have big loops on my wave and b&j boards. I'm not comfortable with big loops on slalom board where I'm pushing for speed really hard and it's just plain scary when feet have much play and I enter patches of chop at full speed.

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